Page 38 - BusinessWest November 10, 2021

seen that yet,” he said, adding that the agency at Westover will continue doing what it’s been doing from the beginning: “strengthening America’s military service members by keeping them con- nected to family, home, and country throughout their service to our nation.”
That’s the official wording in the mission state- ment, but it’s more than words for those tasked with carrying it out. It is a passion, and one that
“During the war, my best buddy was my mom; she sent care packages all the time, and it was pretty awesome. Now ... I’m just passing it on.”
Al Tracy says the USO’s mission comes down
to a simple assignment: keeping servicemen
and women connected — to their family, their hometown, and their country.
Dropping the puck is just one of many reward- ing aspects to a job Tracy has grown into over the past decade and a half after serving the USO in a variety of capacities, incuding board member and treasurer. Indeed, he’s put his own stamp on a position, and an agency, with a proud legacy and an important mission, one that brings him back to his time in Vietnam, which he can pinpoint with astonishing detail after all these years.
“Let’s see ... 11 months, 28 days, four hours, 15 minutes, and maybe 30 seconds, but who’s counting? I was looking at my watch as we left the ground,” he recalled, adding that the best of
prompts a pause for reflection as the USO, started
by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1941, marks
its 80th anniversary. Best known perhaps as the
agency that sent Bob Hope to entertain troops in
hotspots around the globe, the USO has changed thinking ahead to the Nov. 27 Thunderbirds game over the years, and some adjustments certainly against the Hartford Wolf Pack, a matinee, at
Women of
For this issue and its focus on veterans in busi- he said, adding that the agency partners with the
had to be made during COVID. But at its core, the which he will drop the ceremonial puck. It’s an agency and its purpose remain the same: it’s there assignment he’s looking forward to.
to keep deployed service members, and also vet- “I told them I wanted a crash helmet, so when
erans, connected. I fall on the ice I don’t hit the back of my head,”
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ness, we talked at length with Tracy about the team to get servicemen and women discounted USO, its all-important mission, and the many admission, and also tries to secure tickets (to raf- ways in which it is carried out. fle off or simply give away) for area concerts and
Corps Mission
As he talked with BusinessWest, Tracy was
other types of shows.
Women of IMPACT
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Women of Impact Awards Ceremony
Thursday, December 9, 2021 5 - 8 p.m. • Sheraton Springfield
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
Tickets $85 per person
BusinessWest has created the Women of Impact awards to celebrate and recognize the successes and achievements of women from all industries and professions in western Mass.
WOMEN
of Impact mentors. Any inspirational woman, at any level in
Call: (413) 781-8600 or Email [email protected]
#WOI2021
Nominees can be high-level executives,
entrepreneurs, leaders of a non-profit
organization, business owners, volunteers, or
h e r c a r e A e r P , R w O h G o R A i s M d o O i F n B g U r S e I m N E a S r k S Wa b E l S e T t h i n g s .
Presenting Sponsors: Supporting Sponsors:
of
TommyCarAuto.com
Women
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38 NOVEMBER 10, 2021
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VETERANS IN BUSINESS
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Women
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